Phrasal Verb |
Meaning |
Example Sentence |
To violently pull something into pieces. |
The vultures tore the carcass apart. |
|
tear apart |
To split. |
The civil war threatens to tear the country apart. |
|
To upset terribly. |
It tore her apart to see so many child victims of terminal diseases in a single ward. |
tear at |
To pull or attack violently. |
The puppies tore at the slipper. |
tear away |
To leave or remove oneself unwillingly. |
Once he’s on the video game, it’s hard to tear him away from it. |
tear down |
To demolish. |
Several houses were torn down to make way for the new highway. |
tear into |
To criticize strongly. |
I said she might be wrong, and she tore into me. |
tear off |
To remove one’s clothes hurriedly. |
I wasted no time in tearing my clothes off to take a shower. |
tear up |
To rip into pieces. |
She tore up the letter after reading it. |
tell against |
To be a cause of a failure. |
He longed to be a basketball player, but his lack of height told against him. |
tell apart |
To recognize or identify as different. |
It is difficult to tell the twin girls apart. |
tell off |
To express disapproval of someone. |
John ran for a bus but bumped against a woman who told him off. |
tell on |
To have a noticeably bad effect on someone. |
Her constant worrying is beginning to tell on her face. |
To inform on another person to the authority, especially the police. |
Are you not worried that he will tell on you? |
|
think back |
To bring back the memory of something that happened in the past. |
When he thinks back, he feels very lucky that he fell overboard but was not drowned. |
think of |
To have an opinion of someone. |
She doesn’t think very highly of her new daughter-in-law. |
To have an opinion of something. |
What did you think of the film? |
|
To come up with a new idea or plan. |
I have just thought of a way to make easy money. |
|
To remember something. |
I recall correctly; she lives at number 11, but I can’t think of the street. |
|
To have thoughtfulness towards others. |
He often thinks of others, not only of himself. |
|
think out |
To mentally and carefully plan something. |
Jack was the one who thought out the whole operation. |
think over |
To think carefully about something. |
Jillian prefers to think it over before deciding on his proposal. |
think through |
To consider carefully. |
Facing the choice of an overseas assignment or losing his job, George needed some time to think it through. |
think up |
To invent something. |
It was Paul who thought up the idea of a jumble sale to raise more money. |
throw away |
To get rid of something that is useless. |
He is not throwing away those ten pairs of worn out shoes yet. |
To fail to make use of an opportunity, advantage, etc. |
He chose to be a backpacker and threw away a chance to go to a university. |
|
throw in |
To add something with no additional charge to something else that is purchased. |
We decided to buy the big desk with a table lamp thrown in. |
To add something while something else is progressing. |
All eyes were drawn to the one who threw in a careless remark while the conversation was proceeding. |
|
throw off |
To rid oneself of something. |
If only you could throw off all your negative thoughts, you wouldn’t feel the way you do. |
To quickly remove a piece of clothing. |
Each day on arriving home, this couch potato uncle of his throws off his jacket and sits down to watch television. |
|
To produce something in large amount. |
Can the bright moon throw off enough light for reading? |
|
To get rid of. |
It was only after two weeks that grandma threw off her cold. |
|
To break free from someone or something that following you. |
She threw the stalker off by blending into the crowd. |
|
throw open |
To make something more accessible. |
The race was thrown open to more competitors when the age limit of participants was lowered. |
throw out |
To get rid of something that is unwanted. |
Dad refused to throw out the old books and magazines that cluttered the lounge. |
To dismiss. |
The court threw out the case due to lack of evidence. |
|
To expel. |
The student was thrown out of school for unacceptable behavior. |
|
To discharge. |
The treatment plant is throwing out raw sewage directly into the river. |
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throw over |
To abandon someone. |
She promised to never throw him over, but she broke the promise after one year. |
throw together |
To make something quickly without planning or preparation. |
A sudden rainfall caused them not to dine out, but to throw something together for dinner. |
To be brought into a relationship by chance. |
Jack and Jill believed fate threw them together when as strangers they sat beside each other and began a relationship. |
|
throw up |
To vomit. |
Bob, as usual, threw up after he had overeaten. |
To abandon or give up. |
Halfway through her election campaign, she threw up her candidacy. |
|
To produce. |
The introduction of the new regulations is likely to throw up much controversy. |
|
tie down |
To restrict someone’s freedom. |
They were tied down by having to work twelve hours a day. |
tie in |
To connect one thing with another. |
It was a disaster when the two events didn’t tie in when they were supposed to. |
tie in with |
To bring different things into a relationship. |
The concert will tie in with the festival of dance taking place the same weekend. |
tie up |
To fasten. |
Someone tied all the flowers up in one big bunch. |
To delay or block the progress of something. |
The accident tied up traffic for hours. |
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To make money not readily accessible by putting it in property, bond, share, etc. |
Most of her cash is tied up in real estate investments. |
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To restrain someone by binding their hands and feet or binding them to something. |
The burglars tied him up before ransacking the house. |
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To keep someone busy so that they are unavailable to do anything else. |
He was tied up in a meeting when I called. |